Chapter 24: The Constitution Fruit
Opening a wild treasure chest wasn't instantaneous. For 30 seconds, the opener's hand had to remain on the chest; any lapse would reset the timer. With the women's restroom now completely empty except for himself, Yazī placed his hand firmly on the chest and began the opening process.A countdown appeared: "30, 29, 28, …" and soon the timer reached zero.
System messages followed: "Player 'Yazī' has successfully opened the Bronze Treasure Chest." "While opening, your storage space has been increased by 0.2 cubic meters." "Player 'Yazī' gains 10 XP." "Player 'Yazī' has found 134 coins in the chest."
Then the chest revealed its sole tangible reward—a single, greenish fruit resembling an apple. Nothing else.
Yazī's eyes lit up; he recognized the fruit immediately. "I hope this fruit signifies Strength or Agility," he prayed aloud, then decisively reached in and picked it up.
[Constitution Fruit (Bronze‑Grade)] – A one‑use item, often called the "Immortal Fruit." Consuming it permanently increases your Constitution attribute by 2. In his mind, although Constitution wasn't his top priority, the promise of a permanent +2 was too enticing to pass up. (In some cases, if a fruit only provided +1, teammates might have to split it—but if it only grants +1, you must consume the entire fruit to benefit.)
Even though the fruit came from a restroom, Yazī rinsed it under a tap—after all, items from treasure chests were usually clean, but a little extra precaution didn't hurt.
Biting into the fruit, a burst of sweet, juicy flavor filled his mouth. In treasure chests, quality is paramount! He quickly consumed half the fruit. A system notification read: "Player 'Yazī' has consumed a Constitution Fruit; Constitution permanently increased by 1."Without pausing, he gobbled up the remainder: "Player 'Yazī' has consumed a Constitution Fruit; Constitution permanently increased by 1."
He then checked his attribute panel: his base stats were now—Strength: 18, Spirit: 18, Constitution: 14, Agility: 18. Satisfied, Yazī surveyed the women's restroom with a strange sense of familiarity—not solely because of the Fusion Stone or the chest, but for reasons he couldn't quite place.
Realizing time was of the essence—since he couldn't linger as hundreds of zombies prowled the corridors below—he splashed his face at the sink and resolved to act. To minimize noise when moving, he retrieved his Tang Blade and also pulled out a large, heavy carpet from storage.
Activating it, he spread the carpet on the floor, then blew a soft whistle. Almost instantly, every zombie in the hall turned its attention to him. Fortunately, this little disturbance did not attract those from the lower floor or adjacent sections. With a brief wave, he signaled and then retreated back into the corridor.
The zombies, once spotting a human, wouldn't let him escape easily. As the first zombie stepped into the corridor, a flash of blade light streaked by—Yazī's Tang Blade had impaled its head. One after another, his swift strikes claimed more lives.
Before long, the number of zombies in the second‑floor hall dwindled from over a dozen to just seven or eight. System messages popped up: "Congratulations, player 'Yazī' for killing a Level 2 zombie – +2 XP, +3 coins." "Congratulations, you have reached Level 6 and gained 1 free attribute point." "Player 'Yazī' now needs 200 XP for the next level."
Yazī then allocated his free attribute point to Strength—raising it to 19—and continued onward.